President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the country’s national identity database before the end of 2026.
The directive was disclosed by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
According to her, the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to expand the national identity system and reach millions of Nigerians who are yet to be captured in the database.
Coker-Odusote said the commission has already enrolled 137,371,080 Nigerians, describing the figure as a significant milestone in the country’s identity management programme. However, she noted that the government is determined to ensure that no citizen is left out.
She explained that the presidential directive requires NIMC to move beyond urban centres and take registration exercises directly to communities across the country.
“We are now mandated by the President that we should go down to the community level and enroll every single Nigerian.
“The President have given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian,” she said.
The NIMC boss said the commission is working on strategies to make the registration process more accessible, especially for residents in remote and underserved areas.
As part of efforts to meet the target, NIMC has entered into partnerships with relevant organisations under the World Bank-backed Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative. The programme is aimed at strengthening identity systems and improving access to legal identity for citizens.
She said the collaboration is expected to support mass enrollment, improve data collection infrastructure and help the commission reach more Nigerians within the stipulated timeframe.
The national identity programme remains a key component of the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda. Authorities believe a comprehensive identity database will improve access to government services, strengthen security, support financial inclusion and enhance national planning.
In recent years, the government has continued to link the National Identification Number (NIN) with various public services, including telecommunications, banking and social intervention programmes, in a bid to create a unified identity system for Nigerians.
